Friction let-off for looms.



No. 884.170. PATENTED 0011.23, 1906'. n M. o. STEERE.

FRICTION LET-OFF FOR LOOMS.

APPIaIOATIOH FILED NOV.12. 1902.

Fig! 1.,

WITNESSES 'IIIVVEAITOB I ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

i MERRILL O. STEERE, PAWTUGKET, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO BRINDLE-STEERE COMPANY, OF PORTLAND, MAINE, A CORPORA- TlON OF MAINE.

FRICTION LET-OFF FOR LOOMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct 23, 1906.

Application filed November 12,1902. Serial No. 131,058.

To aZZ whom it mag/concern:

Be it known that I, MERRILL O. STEEnE, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Pawthe invention, illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a sideview of the device; Fig. 2, a plan view; Fig. 3, an end view of the .yoke%, showing the method of fastening it to the lever d; and Fig. 4, a modification.

The essential feature of my invention is a mechanism for tensioning the warp-threads of a loom, for controlling the said tension, and maintaining it uniform without the use of the massive tension and take-up weights usually employed.

The invention embodied as illustrated comprises a warp-beam a, brake-shoes b 1), bearing on the peripheral edges of the beam-heads c c, and a lever d, suitably fulcrumed and carrying the brake-shoes M), a pendulum-lever 6 with guide-roll f, and appropriate guides or guide-rolls g and hf The beam 0, is of usual structure, comprising a barrelon whichthe warp is wound and two heads a c. This beam is removably mounted in two uprightsi "L, which are formed with suitable bearings therefor and to which is also fulcrumed the lever d by means of the pins j.

The lever d is formed withtwo forks, one

of which, relatively wide and long, forms the body of the lever, while the other, relatively short and narrow, serves as a bearing for the lever e. The body portionis of such width that it extends between the two uprights it,

to which it is fulcrumed.

At the extremity of the body-fork are the guide-rolls g and h, which are mounted in the adjustable,

adjustable yoke 7c; The latter is both vertically and horizontally, by which means the lower guide-roll it may be main-,

tained adjacent the warp-beam. The yoke is secured in position by the long pin Z, which also serves as a shaft or bearing for the upper guide-roll g, and by two pins on m, which serve as dowels to prevent the yoke from turning under the stress of pull of the warpthreads. (See Fig. 3.)

For the purpose of such adjustment the sides of the yoke are each pierced with a vertical row of holes n and the sidesof the lever (1 each with a double row of holes 0 and e le- The brake-shoes b b are attached to t ver d at a point adjacent its fulcrum and on the opposite side thereof from yoke 7c. The pins q q, whereby the brake-shoes are attached to their lever d, serve only to hold the latter in place, fitting them so freely that the lever d bears directly on the shoes when. pressing them againstthe beam-heads, abutments 1- being formed on the lever d for this purpose.

At the opposite end of the lever dis mounted the weighted pendulum-lever e between the two sides or prongs s of its forked extremity. In the top edges of these rongs are formed alining notches 8, which ta e and serve as bearings for the pin t, on which the lever e is mounted. The upper end of the lever eis also forked, and in it is mounted the guide-roll f. On the lower pendent portion of the lever e is adjustably mounted the weight 2;, supported by the pin a, which can be located in either of the holes 90. Adjacent the end of the lever d is supported a guiderod y, bearing a fixed relation to-the beam, and over this the warp is led to direct its course to the weaving. v

The pendulum-lever e serves as a controller to regulate the ressure of the brake-shoes b.v

to action of the warp is, however, limited, for y if the warp pass from the roll 9 to the rod y in a straight line it obviously can produce no further downward motion ofthe roll f, and

tension on the warpethen actsto depress the opposite end of thelever d and'tothus'release the brakes from the beam.

The portion ofthe warp between the roll 9 and. rod y never becomes absolutely straightened; but under a high degree of tension the extent of its deflection becomes sufliciently diminished so that the direct pull onthe. roll 9 and tendency to lift the brakes from the beam exceeds the braking effect of the Warp upon the lever d through the roll I have seen fit to difi erentiate in *the claims between the action of'the warp upon the=roll f and its action"onrthe roll 'y by stat- I 5 --ing that' movementiofthe roll-f is due to the ltensioned-warp bearing against it in' contradistinction to its pulling on they rollg, for the movement of the'rollfis' due to the'tendenc rof 'the warp to straighten under tension, while that of the roll'g isdue' to the direct 'pullof'the warp on the roll 9 ma direction substantiallyperpendicularto its lever-arm. -By-varying-'the position of the weight 1) on the lever e'andalsobyvarying the position "of the lever e on the lever d thezdegree of ex- "cess tension that must be brought upon the Warp before the brakes are relieved can be adjusted. By varying the position of'thewei-ght "v' on'thelever-e its reaction against the downwardpressurezofthe warp'on the roll-f can be adjusted, and by varying the'positionef the levere on the lever '01 the effect of the-warp- =pressure on the brakes is diminished.

"\Nhere thewarp is composed of light and 3 5 'relatively delicate threads, the pendulum- -lever'may be ofthel form ind-icatedinFig. 4,

iin which anarm 5, spirallycurved from its "fulcrum, is substituted 1 for thependent arm of Fig. 1. The weight 6 is hung from :the 40 arm by-"a strap or'cord' 7,- whieh passes over the edge' of the arm. .By this means the&va ri ati'on in degree of resistanee to-m'ovement of therollffrom its highest to its lowermost position maybe madeas great oras little' as is 5 desired "The operation of my device is 1 as 9 follows: The full warp beam having beenmounted in its bearings, the warp is drawn therefrom over the rolls 9 and hyasindieated in='Fig. 1, and over the'rollf and the rod 1 to theweaving. The draft on'the-warp due to the takeup-of the woven fabric brings; pressure upon and depresses 1 the roll f until 1 the lever" erassumes a position inwhich the pressureof'the warp upon-the roll f is balanced by the-reactive'effect of the weight n. Inlthis=posi- *tion the weight *2) acts with a compound-leverage on the lever d to pressthe brakes upon their beam-heads. The pull of the warp in *passing the-rolls h andg produces a reactive tendency atthe opposite end of the lever iii to lift the I brake-shoes 6. Should any: undue resistance occur to the rotationof: thewarp- "beam, the rollfwill be depressed, the tension 65 on the warp increasing with itsdepression If the resistance continues, the roll f will be depressed to its lowermost'position, and then the only yielding point in the path of the 'warp is the opposite end of the lever d, where the rolls g and h are located. When the pull of the warp on the rolls 9 and It becomes so great that the downward tendency of that end of the lever d exceeds the downward tendency of the opposite end, due to the weight 1) and the bearing of the warp against the roll f, the brakes b are raised and the beam released. As the diameter of the warp decreases the line of pull on the rolls g and It changes with relation to the levens fulcrum, so F that the warp acts on the lever with increasing leverage to' diminish the brakingef feet on the beam, 1 thus adjusting the: degree of brake-pressure to leverage-with which the warp must rotate the'beam. 'The broken line'2 indicates thedirec'tiomofpull fro'm a full beam, in which case the=leverage with which the warp tends to relieve the brakepressure is -"rela'tively slight. The broken line 3 indicates'the direction of pull from a 1 partially-emptied:beam, and the. broken: line i 4 indicates the direction of pull from anearly- 4 empty beam, in which lease the warp :pulls nearly directly on the roll'g. .Byivaryingi the position of the rolls g and k both unutually and with relation to the fulcrum. j thevdegree of change of leverage of thepull (bfltlle war 9 I to relieve ithe brakes can be variedwas desired. In some lines of work the lowerlrollth is emitted, a suflicient variationin; leverage being attainablewvitlr only: the one roll 9.

My invention is I particularly valuable l because of the -efi'ec tive manner r in which i the tension on the warp. is: maintained uniform accommodating itself to changesin diameter 'of thewvarp massuandlto other varying resistances :to I delivery :and without ithe employment of massive-weigh ts.

Without limiting myself to the precise form -:and arrangement of parts, ilcl'aim as 1 my invention 1. The combination inaa'frictionzleboiffor -looms with a:beanrandlbrakes e aging the f beam, of a: leverrtoiwhich the said rakes rare secured,- airoll "yielding-1y secured to one' end of the ilever whereby 1 the :latter is pressed I downward tooperate: the'brakes, and a guideroll at: the opposite end of the: lever onwhich the warp pulls to act against the operative tendency of? the brakes.

2. The combination in a friction lct-oifzfor looms: of brakes, a 1 bra'ke lever, a roll yieldingly mounted on sa-id'leven on. the same side of the fulcrum with the brakes and a roll unyieldin'gly mounted onsaid lever onthe' opposite side from said brakes.

3 The combination in :a friction let-ofl' f or looms, with a warp-beam, of brakes-acting to :retar d the rotation of the beam, a'brake-lever carrying the brakes; on which the warp bears at one end wvrth :a tendency to relieve the IIC brake-pressure, and a second lever pivoted to the opposite end of said brake-lever and operated by the Warp bearing thereon to apply pressure to the brakes, but adapted to yield to relieve said pressure.

'4. The combination, in a friction let-off for looms, of a Warp-beam brake, a lever connected to said brake and fulcrumed on the frame, a bearing-piece on said lever over which the warp passes at one side of the fulcrum, and a weighted second lever pivoted to the first at the opposite side of the fulcrum and having a bearing over which the Warp passes.

5. The combination in a friction let-off for looms with a beam or and support i i theremounted on the forked extremit of the lever (1, a roll f mounted in the pen ulum-lever and a Weight 1) adjustably secured to the said pendulum-lever, substantially as described.

' 6. The combination in a friction let-off for looms, with a beam, and brake-shoes to control said beam, of a lever d with a forked body having rows of holes 0 and p in its sides and a forked extremity with alining notches 8 in the top of its sides 8 s, a yoke is having holes n and secured to the lever d by the pin l and dowel-pins m m, a roll 9 mounted on the pin Z, a roll it mounted at the bottom of the yoke k, a pendulum-lever e mounted in the notches 8 of the forked extremity, a roll on said pendulum-lever, and a weight 0 a justably mounted thereon, substantially as described. I

In testimony whereof I aflix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

MERRILL O. STEERE.

Witnesses:

EZRA D. GROVES, EDWIN 0. SMITH. 

